


The Old and The New Drabbles

by bookworm03



Series: The Old and The New [4]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Divorce, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Post-Divorce
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-07-19 13:15:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 9,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7362802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm03/pseuds/bookworm03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles from The Old and the New series. Leslie was married to Dave and now she's trying to move on with her life. And that involves a cute state auditor with giant hair.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, I decided to add these drabbles from tumblr to ao3. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Comments and kudos make my day and prompts are always welcome!

Marlene Griggs-Knope is about what he expected from Leslie’s mother.

She’s quick, very quick, Ben took off his shoes and held them when they arrived and before having even been introduced she’d quipped  _would you like me to wrap those up for you, or will you wear them out of the store_?

Leslie had been mildly horrified and Ben had yes, sort of dropped his shoes with a clatter, but then Marlene had cackled and stuck out her hand and introduced herself.

Dinner had involved a fair amount of wine, a little reminiscing about Leslie’s father and Christmas traditions he’d had that they kept alive on his behalf. Marlene says something about Leslie doing the same with her family, and Leslie’s cheeks color in the warm glow of the fire.

“What’s your family like, Ben?”

“Uhhh, my mother’s often passive aggressive, my father’s terrifying, they hate each other and my siblings like to take sides,” it came out in a rush as Marlene’s eyes darted over his face. “But, we have some good Christmas traditions. I’m all about the Christmas traditions.”

“We better get you a stocking then,” Marlen glances at Leslie, who grins.

“I already made him one.”

Of course she did.

Leslie’s checking on the latest batch of gingerbread cookies a little while later when Marlene turns to him, a cup of eggnog cradled in her hands.

“So, you met Dave.”

Ben gulps. Hard.

“I did.”

“And cops terrify you?”

He sighs.

“I…that is one way of putting it. Although, I’m not sure I’d go with _terrifies_ …”

“And Leslie’s ex-husband being the new Chief of Police won’t be a problem for you?”

Ben shudders just a little, but squares his shoulders.

“No,” he states firmly. “Of course not. I love Leslie and I want to be with her and I don’t care. Why would I care about that?”

Marlene surveys him for a few seconds before getting up and joining Leslie in the kitchen. When Leslie enters the living room she’s alone and pressing kisses to his face.

“She said I like this one.”

Ben’s a little shocked, but just a little. He feels like Marlene understands him and he understands her, and they both just want Leslie to be happy.

Leslie’s in his lap, forehead pushed against Ben’s and lips teasing his open when Marlene clears her throat.

“Why don’t you two stay the night? Keep me company and we can open presents in the morning?”

Leslie checks Ben’s face and there’s just a sliver of desperation behind her eyes. Her mother would be fine if they went home, obviously. It’s hard to imagine Marlene ever not being fine, but it’s a tough holiday and Leslie wants to be with her.

“Sure,” Ben rubs Leslie’s side. “That sounds good.”

“I’ll make up the sofa bed for you, Ben. And obviously you’ll keep your hands to yourself under my roof.”

His eyes bulge and Leslie whirls around with her mouth agape. Marlene laughs loudly and walks out the room rolling her eyes.

*****

“Merry Christmas,” he repeats for the fifth time. It’s gross. It’s disgusting how happy he is. They’re curled in Leslie’s bed on their sides, rubbing noses and murmuring at each other as he plays with an errant curl.

“Merry Christmas,” she sighs as he nibbles down her neck. It’s early, but Ben’s finally fully awake and realizing he could be doing a lot of things his warm, cuddly girlfriend. Leslie giggles in his ear as he rolls her beneath him and discards her pajama pants. They’re red with snowflakes on them.

He kisses her bare shoulder and his hand goes between her thighs. She’s slick already and Ben growls into her throat.

“Is this my present?” she whispers in his hair. Ben snorts and kisses her breasts through her tanktop, nipples puckered against the thin fabric.

“Your present is under the tree,” he grins when she moans softly. “This is just a regular Thursday morning.”

“ _Mhmmmm_ ,” she tugs on his hair. “Don’t let me interrupt then.”

He nips at her thigh and nuzzles her hip. Leslie whines and pushes up into his face. She’s so impatient, even when she knows he won’t be rushed.

“Ben…” she gasps as he rakes his tongue over her. He lifts his head when she says his name again and Leslie sits up.

“I didn’t think I’d be spending Christmas morning like this six months ago.”

She pushes his hair out of his eyes and Ben kisses the inside of her wrist.

“Me either. Lie down.”

She grins and steals a kiss before obliging.


	2. Content

The day it happens is unremarkable, but she supposes that’s how these things always go. 

She loves Ben, spent Christmas with Ben, he met her mother (who approved) and the entire parks department (who gave him a hard time but seemed to like him just fine) and on New Year’s Eve he surprised her with a fancy hotel and dinner and everything’s perfect. 

But then, something changes. 

Something happens in a way it never did with Dave. It’s unpredictable and terrifying and has her making a panicked call to Ann after Ben falls asleep. 

He’s sitting on her couch watching some hockey game and Leslie’s reading a novel Ann lent her. The main character’s a nurse and her fiance just died on the Western Front and Leslie doesn’t even realize her eyes have welled with tears until Ben, never tearing his gaze away from the TV, gives her ankle a little squeeze. 

His thumb slides inconsequentially and Leslie goes back to her book, suddenly overcome with a whole new set of emotions. 

She saw herself with Dave, always. She saw herself marrying him, saw herself having children with him and saw herself running for office with Dave by her side. She would’ve never married him if she hadn’t been able to imagine all of this. 

But Ben…

Ben feels like he’s _supposed_ to be there, doing all of that with her. He’s supposed to always be on her couch, watching TV and gently comforting her when a book makes her cry. He’s supposed to be on her couch every night for the rest of their lives, going over polling numbers and rubbing her growing baby bump. 

“Les?” he pushes hair off her face and smiles crookedly. 

It feels like her life will not be what it’s supposed to be if Ben’s not in it. 

“Good book?” 

“Sad,” she chokes out, even though that’s not the reason she’s got a lump in her throat. She’s never felt like this before. 

He’s it. 

That’s what she’s feeling. That’s what she tells Ann when she calls her frantic at 2AM. 

It feels like Ben’s her other half. 

And less than a year after her marriage ended, that might be the scariest thing of all. 


	3. Game

He hears her before her warm arms slide around him and her face pushes into his back. 

“Can’t sleep?” 

It’s 4AM. He’s standing at her kitchen counter with a glass of water he hasn’t touched and his brain’s firing on all cylinders. 

He wants to marry her. 

Which, yes, okay, is not that surprising. The problem is they haven’t talked about this, at all. They talk about everything, but not her divorce (they talked that to death in the beginning) and now it’s something that doesn’t get brought up unless it has to. 

But now, the problem is, Ben wants to marry her and he doesn’t even know if she’ll want to get married again. She could be soured from her last experience, she could be happy enough just being together without putting that kind of a label on it. 

But he…he wants to label her his wife. He wants her to be that forever. 

Ben turns in her arms and Leslie kisses his chest and strokes his back. 

“Is it work?” 

He shakes his head. 

“Is ittttt, family stuff?” 

Again, he shakes his head. 

“Is it…me?” 

Ben hesitates, and then sort of shakes his head. Leslie looks up and rolls her eyes. 

“If we’re playing twenty questions you’re very bad at it.” 

Ben sighs, but doesn’t get to respond before she’s kissing him. 

“Tell me.” 

“I love you,” he wraps his arms around her shoulders. “I love you and saying it doesn’t quite feel like enough anymore because that’s how much I love you.” 

Leslie smiles, eyes watery as she kisses him again. 

“Welllll, you should come show me then,” she tugs on his hand, backing up towards her stairs. Ben groans, his stomach twisting with need as he takes her in. She’s wearing only his t-shirt, her hair’s everywhere and her cheeks are flushed. 

Ben bumps into her against the bedroom door, devouring her lips again. 

“Or we could keep playing twenty questions, but you’re really bad at it and I’d rather you just tell me what’s wrong.” 

Ben chuckles into her mouth and nods. 

“Later,” he promises. He has no idea when later will be though. The answer seems to placate Leslie, because she grins and pushes him down onto her mattress. 

“Later,” she agrees. 


	4. Grunt

Ben Wyatt makes the cutest little noises in his sleep. So adorable, in fact, that Leslie wants to record them and play them for everyone she knows. The sighs, the coos, the murmurs - he can’t realize how cute he is. 

But above everything, Leslie just wishes he got to sleep in her bed more instead of in some decrepit motel whose walls don’t appreciate how adorable and sexy he is. 

And also, she just really likes having him in her bed. For sex or for sleeping, he’s the perfect amount of warm and cuddly and she never wants him to leave. 

Leslie runs her foot up his calf as she climbs in beside him. Ben passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow because he’d been getting up at 5AM so he could commute to the new town he’s auditing and spend most nights with her. 

He grunts and rolls onto his side, reaching for her. 

“Mhmmph, cold feet,” he growls. Leslie laughs and kisses his nose. He keeps telling her she needs a rug for her bedroom floor and he’s probably right, her feet are always cold. 

Ben pulls her closer and spoons her. 

“It’s too much driving,” she tangles their fingers as he burrows into her neck. Ben shakes his head in obvious disagreement. 

Against her will, she flashes back to afternoons after Dave had been working all night. Leslie would come home from work and he would fight sleep to stay up and talk to her for longer than was wise and then go sleep in the spare room so she wouldn’t wake him up when she finally did come to bed. Leslie had never thought anything of it, because it had made sense. Of course Dave needed a good night’s sleep and of course it was nothing about her or about her doing something wrong. 

“Ben?” 

“Mhmmm,” he grunts. She’s sort of testing him and she knows it, but she has to ask. 

“I can go to the spare room if you want to sleep.” 

“Iwannasleepwithyou,” he yawns. “Gotosleep,babydoll.” 

Leslie smiles. She won’t, but she’ll stay there if that’s what he wants. 

He’s driving a long way just so he can be with her every night, of course she wants to be with him too. 


	5. Fight

Her hands are shaking as she pulls into the parking lot of his apartment in Indianapolis. **  
**

She’s never been here before.

Probably because Ben hasn’t stayed here in months because he’s chosen to stay at her place whenever he’s gotten a week off between assignments. His apartment is barren, he insists. He never properly unpacked and there’s no photos on the walls or any indication he has anything but work in his life. He’s never felt at home there.

He feels at home with her, he told her that.

And then she went and ruined it.

It started off so innocently. One minute they were wrestling in their underwear about how much closet and drawer space should be allotted to Ben and the next minute they were fighting and screaming and Ben was getting dressed and storming out the door.

She misses him. Her house has never felt so cold and lonely and that includes right after she moved back to Pawnee without Dave. A week without Ben has left a significant hole and Leslie can’t take it anymore, she needs to see him.

Incidentally, she does have his address in Indianapolis and knows he’s there until the end of the following week.

His next assignment is Snerling, Indiana, where the cows outnumber the people 40 to 1.

Ben will hate it. He’ll come home every night whining he spent all day doing audits in a barn or something and need to take a shower before he does anything else.

That thought makes her smile.

Leslie doesn’t want to fight with him. She loves him and she can’t lose him. Not over something so stupid as her hoarder tendencies and photo albums. She’ll incinerate them before his very eyes if he wants. She doesn’t care. They’ll make new ones together.

Her heart’s in her throat as she knocks on his apartment. Thankfully, a nice lady held the main entrance open to save Leslie having to buzz up first. She hears his muted footsteps inside and pictures him in plaid pajama pants and navy t-shirt, hair everywhere and a beer with beads of condensation dripping on a sleek oak coffee table.

Well, maybe not, it’s actually still pretty chilly outside.

The footsteps stop and there’s silence before the door flies open.

She starts to speak a little frantically as she takes in his messy hair and bleary eyes, but trails off when Ben grabs her by the waist and drags her inside. It’s so abrupt, she’s afraid there might be an axe murderer in the hallway or something, but he just holds his face in her hands and pushes their foreheads together.

“I’m so sorry.”

“I’m so sorry!” she chokes out. “I shouldn’t have kept that stuff, I don’t know why it was there - ”

“No, no no, I overreacted. Of course you kept your wedding album, that’s…I was being a jerk. I’m so sorry,” his arms tighten. “That was an important time in your life and of course you have some good memories from that. I was acting like an idiot.”

“But you were right, I don’t know why I kept it in my closet, it just felt too final to give it up or something.”

Ben releases her and steps back.

“You’re divorced.”

Leslie throat is instantly tight and her eyes sting. Even now, it hurts to hear. “I am.”

“That’s as final as it gets, Leslie.”

“I know, I know, you’re right. I’ll throw them out.”

“Don’t throw them out,” Ben rubs his cheek. “I don’t want you to do that, I just…”

“Just what?”

He reaches for her hands.

“I get it. I don’t want you to throw them out, I want you to want that with me too. And I’m afraid you never will and that’s why I freaked out.”

Leslie jaw pops open. “You…you want a…”

A wedding album. Ben wants a wedding album.

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” he shrugs. “It’s too soon to even ask you to think about that at some point and work is insane for me with travelling and who knows when it will stop being, and - ”

“Yes.”

His eyes go wide and tears slip down her own cheeks. “Y-yes?”

Yes, she loves him. Yes, she wants that too. Yes, she might still mourn her relationship with Dave, but she loves Ben more, feels connected to Ben in a way she never has before and she wants to be with him. He’s the when you know you know her mother explained to Leslie as a child.

It made no sense then.

It made no sense a year ago.

It makes total sense in this moment.

“Yes, I want that too. Not tomorrow, not until we figure out where we’re going to live and work stuff, but yes.”

“Yes,” he gulps audibly and reaches for her. “Yes.”

“Yes.”

His lips crash into hers and Leslie whimpers and drags him closer by the lapels as Ben maneuvers her towards what she presumes is his bedroom.

He pushes her down on the mattress and kisses her again, slower. Leslie exhales contently.

_Yes._


	6. Home Life

She’s in the kitchen making blueberry tarts when he comes home.

The tarts are for him. He had a bad day.

For starters, a local townsperson in Snerling had apparently run up to Ben and pushed him into a pile of cow excrements shouting _Welcome to Snerling, Asshole_. It was his first week there and well, he was receiving quite an introduction.

Next, he’d taken a cold shower (he’d gotten hosed off) at City Hall and then Chris had given him some running pants and a Lake Placid Ironman 2001 t-shirt and he’d been stuck in those for the rest of the day because he had no clothes at the motel…because someone had broken into his room and littered the front lawn of said motel with them.

And it had rained.

And then, to top it all off, in his effort to get home - to her - he’d broken a few _minor_ traffic laws and gotten pulled over by one of Pawnee’s finest who threatened to take him down to the station so _The Chief_ could deal with him and then given him one hell of a ticket.

Ben hadn’t been the one to tell her that much, Dave had. He’d called Leslie and Leslie had yelled at him and he said he’d take care of it.

“I’m going to shower!” Ben yells as soon as the front door slams. He has clothes at her place, thankfully, so the hooligans at the motel didn’t get it all. Leslie listens to the water run, paces around the kitchen and decides to put a beer in the freezer to make sure it’s nice and frosty by the time Ben comes down.

She hears him on the stairs, but he doesn’t venture into the kitchen so Leslie goes out to meet him. He’s slumped on the couch, a frown on his face and his eyes narrowed at the TV.

“The stupid Pacers are losing to the stupid Bulls and now I’m never going to hear the end of it from Henry about how he picked the better state to live in.”

Oh boy, he’s very cranky. Leslie sets the beer in front of him and he scrubs a hand over his face.

“Is that why you didn’t say hi to me? Because the Pacers game is on?”

Ben likes sports and stats and everything, but he’s never ignored her over them. 

“I’m sorry, babydoll,” his eyes dart up to hers and Leslie softens, smiles and climbs into his lap. He shudders immediately, winding his arms around her hips and rocking gently as he burrows into her chest.

“What smells so good?” he murmurs.

“I made you blueberry tarts.”

She feels his teeth on her skin. He’s smiling.

“I’m sorry about the cow poop and your clothes and the ticket and everyone being jerks.”

“It’s okay,” he kisses her shoulder. “I guess…thank Dave for taking care of that.”

He doesn’t sound very thankful, but he probably shouldn’t have gotten a ticket in the first place, so Leslie will let that one slide.

“Okay. What else?”

“Nothing,” he kisses her neck lightly. “It’s just good to be home.”

Leslie presses her lips to the top of his head.

It’s good to have him home.


	7. Both of them get sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a tumblr prompt I received.

“You got me sick,” he pouts, snuggling into her neck. Leslie barely has the strength to stand up and Ben’s all burning up and sniffly. His arm snakes around her waist and Leslie sighs. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Do you need anything?” 

She’s stopped puking and now she’s starting to feel hungry again. Her stomach is so empty it hurts and she’d kill for some dry toast. Not even waffles sound good right now. 

She might be dying. 

Before she can tell him that no, she’s fine because he needs to rest too, Ben’s on his feet. He wraps himself in a quilt and pads out of the bedroom, and Leslie’s not sure where he’s gone to. She might fall asleep in the interim. 

He returns with chicken soup, dry toast and orange juice, helps her sit up and tells her to eat something. 

She leans into him while she does and Ben rubs her back. 

He’s so sweet. So kind and wonderful and gentle. He’d be such a good partner, spouse, father. She wants to tell him that, but she doesn’t have the strength. 

After the soup’s gone they cuddle up again and Leslie sleeps for real, Ben’s clammy face against her neck as his teeth chatter. 

“I love you.” 

He puckers in response. 

“Sleep,baby.” 

She does. 


	8. Both of them get sick pt. 2

She’s better the next morning, but he’s not. Ann comes over, takes his temperature, and tells Leslie if it gets any higher he’s to come to the hospital. Leslie feels mostly fine, but Ben can’t even lift his head up. 

She covers him in blankets, makes more soup, and even lets him marathon Battlestar Galactica in bed. He kisses her skin where he can reach it and apologizes softly for this weekend. 

He’s working far away, on the other side of Indiana practically, and he comes to Pawnee as much as he can. The weekend before she hadn’t seen him in a month and they had barely left the bed then too. He’d spent a good portion of the 48 hour window buried inside, building slowly a deep, hot feeling that made her whole body erupt. 

It had been the best sex of her life. Not the night she got engaged, not her wedding night, not even a particularly romantic Valentine’s Day…no, it was after beer and pizza with her panties hooked around one ankle and her tank top bunching at her waist as she clutched at the sheets to find purchase. 

And with Ben. Ben was definitely the best sex of her life. 

In her lap, Ben squirms now and reaches for a Kleenex. Leslie hands him the box and presses her lips to his temple. 

Somehow they end up in a sloppy, upside down kiss that makes her smile even though he’s burning up. She’ll take his temperature again in an hour. 

“I had so many plans this weekend,” Ben murmurs when the kiss ends. Leslie strokes his hair. 

“Like letting me jump your bones again?” 

Ben coughs and nods into her hip. 

“Andthering.” 

Leslie stills. They’d talked about a ring, sort of, but it hadn’t…there was a ring? _What ring?_

 _“_ What ring?” she tries to ask casually. Ben snuffles and yawns, not answering. 

“Ben, Ben, Ben, what ring? _The_  ring?” The _I want to marry you_  ring??? It couldn’t be. Not yet. 

_Could it?_

He’s snoring before he can answer her. 

Crap on a…


	9. The aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also for a prompt I received on tumblr. I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Comments and kudos are love!

By Sunday morning he's himself again. 

He's still sniffly and he's not all that hungry, but he can stand up without getting dizzy and his fever broke in the night. Leslie's brushing her teeth when he steps up behind her, palming her waist and kissing her ear in greeting. 

"Morning." 

"Morning," she rubs the back of his hand, wondering if he'll say anything about this mysterious  _ring_ that he was supposed to do something with. Like, maybe, give it to her and get down on one knee and ask her to be with him forever. 

Because she wants to. She wants to be that. And yes, perhaps now would be sooner than they'd planned or was wise but she would say yes in a heartbeat...whether it was today or in a month or in a decade (she _really_ hopes it's not a decade) she wants their lives together to start for real. 

She makes breakfast and they go back to bed afterwards, and all morning Ben says nothing about anything except cylons and President Roslin and Admiral Adama. Actually, she's pretty into it if she's being honest. They'd make a cute couple and she tries to tell Ben this, but he just covers her mouth gently and murmurs  _watch, babydoll_. 

"Ben," she asks when the latest episode ends. She can't stand it anymore. He's sitting there so calmly and she needs to know either way.  "Last night...you mentioned something about a ring."

His cheeks go red and his eyes widen. 

"I...what?"

"You said you had lots of plans this weekend and something about a ring."

He mutters  _good lord_ under his breath before turning back to her. 

"Uhhh, no, no, that doesn't sound like something I'd say."  

"Uhhhh," she climbs into his lap. "Well, you deeeeefinitely did and there's no point denying it, buddy." 

"Leslie, there's...it's not...it's not that kind of ring. I meant like...ring, like...what British people call their phones and I was going to...get a new ring, because I wanted a new cell phone with more minutes and data so we can video call each other even when wifi is shitty in the motel." 

Okay, that's definitely a lie. He's getting all jumpy and his hands wouldn't stop trembling. 

"Ben." 

"I'm serious! I just wanted to get a better phone!" 

His eyes dart up anxiously and Leslie sighs, face falling just a little. He's not ready yet. 

"Okay - "

"Honey - "

"It's fine. It's a new phone. We'll go phone shopping." 

He kisses her gently and rubs her waist. "I don't have it." 

"Your new phone." 

He licks his lips. "Right. I'm...trying to find the perfect one so that takes time. The perfect phone is very important." 

Tears well up behind her eyes and Ben pulls her forehead to his. 

"But as soon as I do you will be the first person to know." 

"It doesn't have to be perfect!" she blurts out. "I'll love it because it's the phone you picked and..." 

"Good to know," he holds her face in his hands. "You wanna watch the next episode?" 

She nods and sniffles as he wipes her eyes and pulls her against him. 


	10. Life saver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For another tumblr prompt. Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are love!

He’s in Pawnee, sprawled out on Leslie’s couch and listening to the Requiem for a Dream soundtrack when the doorbell rings. In the time it takes Ben to set down his beer and cross the living room floor it rings again. 

He expects an overly eager Girl Scout trying to sell thin mints or something (which he will buy and hide from Leslie, and then buy forty boxes of Pawnee Goddesses cookies next month).

It’s not a Girl Scout.

It’s the Chief of Police.

Ben takes a few deep breaths, mentally preparing himself for what’s about to come out on the other side of that door. He contemplates not answering, but Dave shouts that he can see Ben’s car and he knows he’s in there. Ben sighs and pulls it open.

“Leslie’s camping,” he says immediately. “With her department. It’s a working trip. I’ll tell her you stopped by - ”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”

Ben’s throat goes dry and he takes little step back, just in case he has to slam the door shut to stop Dave strangling him to death slowly for touching his wife.

Ex-wife. Leslie’s his ex-wife that he’s still in love with.

“O-oh?”

“You um...you work...you do accounting, right?”

“Uh,” Ben’s frown lines deepen. “Yes? I’m an accountant, but I work for the - ”

“I’m being audited.”

Ben blinks. “What?”

“I’m being audited. By the IRS. There’s uh...it...I got a notice and they want to see all my receipts for the last five years and…” Dave gestures to a box at his feet overflowing with papers.  _ Good lord. _

“I need to...there’s a lot of forms. They...do you uh...I don’t know anyone smart with this stuff and you seem...you seem pretty smart.”

He rubs his forehead and Ben feels himself nodding before the thoughts have even gone through his head.

“You’d really be, uh, saving me here.”

“Yeah,” Ben gestures inside like it’s his house. It feels like it’s his house, except he’d have at least 80% less Time Magazines if he lived there.

Dave steps through the threshold, box in his arms, and makes his way right for the kitchen table. In some weird shuffle, Ben offers him a glass of water and Dave thanks him and gets up to get it himself. He knows where everything is.

Of course he does, he’s been here before, a million times. He’s sat on the couch, he’s cooked at the stove, he’s watched the TV.

He’s slept in her bed.

Ben shudders and pushes that thought out of his mind as Dave perches awkwardly on a chair and looks up expectantly.

Yup, they were doing this.

*****

He made a mistake on one of his forms, that’s why the audit is happening. He misrepresented some details and there’d been an issue with his submission the year before and now he’s being audited.

Ben’s tone might be a little... _ brusque  _ considering it is the Chief of Police he’s speaking to, but it’s the IRS after all. Why wouldn’t you ask a professional who does this for a living instead of trying to fumble through it yourself?

Dave looks sheepish as Ben explains his errors and mumbles something about it not being his strongsuit.

Again, Ben is a little abrupt, but he sips his beer and gets to work, checking and cross-checking everything he inputs, leafing through stacks of papers and making notes on his laptop that he got from the bedroom. Dave had watched him go, watched pad down the hallway, open Leslie’s door and come back a minute later.

He misses her. It was strange arriving in Pawnee and not having her there and now he really just needs to see her.

Dave leaves at midnight, thanking Ben profusely when Ben says he’ll call him. He ends up working until 2AM on his own and falls asleep on the couch. When he wakes up an hour later he leaves the papers scattered everywhere and collapses on the bed.

He dreams of Dave and Leslie’s wedding on a beach in San Diego. He dreams he’s there and she’s processing her love for her again-husband and Dave’s kissing her and saying something about how this amazing thing would’ve never happened if Ben hadn’t agreed to help him with his tax audit.

Ben wakes up when the sky’s still grey to warm lips on his. He kisses back before his eyes even open. Leslie giggles, her tongue tasting of coffee and whipped cream. He rolls her beneath him and kisses harder, blood still raging through his veins from the dream.

“Mhmmm,” she pushes him back and strokes his hair. “Hi. I missed you too.”

“You’re home early,” his voice sounds hoarse to his own ears. “Why are you home so early?”

Her cheeks are flushed, her hair’s in a messy bun and her eyes are sparkling. She’s so beautiful. He thumbs the hem of her oversized flannel shirt, and realizes it’s oversized because it’s his. Ben presses his lips to her temple and snuggles into her neck.

“We were done brainstorming and I wanted to come home.”

He toys with an errant curl and drags his thumb across her chin, sliding onto his side. She pushes his hair back with her small fingers.

“How did it go?”

“Great! I have soooo many ideas, I barely slept getting them all down and Ron took me for waffles before I drove back.”

She’s bubbly, exuberant, glowing. He drags her closer and they kiss again.

“Honey?”

“Mhmm,” his eyes have fallen shut and he’s ready to go back to sleep. A much more peaceful sleep if the way Leslie’s stroking his hair is any indication.

“Why is there a box of Dave’s stuff in the living room?”

His eyes snap open and Leslie raises an eyebrow.

“Becaaaause...I love you?”

“Ben.” 

He sighs as she climbs on top of him.

“He’s being audited,” he thumbs her hipbones. “He came by last night asking for help and…” Ben shrugs. “I thought I should help him.”

“Ben,” she cups his cheeks. “You didn’t have to do that for - ”

“I didn’t,” he admits. He didn’t do it for her. Leslie would’ve understood if he had sent her ex-husband away. “I honestly didn’t, and I know that sounds bad, but I just...he seemed pretty...it’s stressing him out, he needed help and this is what I’m good at, so - ”

Her tongue’s hot and warm in his mouth and Ben groans.

“You are the sweetest, kindest, funniest, most amazing boyfriend in the world.”

She kisses down his neck and her hands glide over the front of his boxers. His breath hitches.

“Am I?”

“Uh huh. I love you, Benjamin.”

He gulps when her hand wraps around the base of his shaft as she nibbles the pulse point in his neck. Her thumb swipes across the tip of his dick and he groans as she strokes a little harder.

When her hot mouth seals around him his eyes roll back in his head.

He sleeps - dreamless and like a baby - after that. 


	11. The Rebound Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> galentines sent me a prompt on tumblr that I have only partially filled... but as it is her birthday I wanted to get something up today. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!

“You’re uh...pretty smart.” 

Ben doesn’t know what to say to that, so he shrugs and keeps flipping through Dave’s receipts and making notes on what he finds.

“You, you think this’ll be alright?”

Ben lifts his eyes and Dave definitely looks a little afraid. Ben reaches for the beer that’s on the table in front of him and speaks clearly. If he was intimated having the Chief of Police at his table before, he’s not now. Numbers are what he’s good at.

“Look, it’s not the end of the world. They just want you to clarify some details. That’s what an audit is. They want more information. So we’ll give them what they want and you shouldn’t have any more issues,” he drummed his fingers on the counter. “But seriously, man, next year  _ hire someone _ to do your taxes for you.”

Dave cheeks flamed.

“Yeah, I um, I will, do that. That’s good advice.”

Ben gives a curt little nod and goes back to working. Leslie’s still at City Hall, but it’s later than he expected her and he wonders if maybe she’s just trying to stay out of their way.

Or avoid Dave (who’s definitely still in love with her if the way he casts his eyes around the room longingly is any indication).

“So, you uh, you guys have been dating for a good while now.”

“Six months,” Ben answers without thinking. He knows this because on their semi-anniversary two weeks before Leslie had surprised him at the door with a calzone and nothing but a t-shirt on. A fact he’d discovered when they’d settled on the couch with wine to watch a documentary and he’d started to feel her up.

“Yeah, wow, that’s, uh...long.”

“Is it?” It doesn’t feel long. Not in the span of forever anyway, which is how long he intends to be with Leslie Knope.

“Well, for a, you know, a, er…” he clears his throat. “Rebound...type...situation.”

Ben drops his pen and Dave glances up, sheepish.

“A...what situation?”

“Oh, well, y’know, first...first relationship after...I…” he rubs the back of his neck. “Never mind.”

Ben wants to shout he’s not a rebound, that he’s talked about marrying her and that she wants that too. Leslie Knope’s not the type to have a rebound relationship and her  _ ex-husband _ should know that.

Dave’s waiting him out, Ben realizes in that moment, elbow deep in a tax audit trying to be a nice guy. Dave’s hoping to hover around just enough that when her  _ rebound _ ends he’ll be there to scoop her back up. He won’t make her uncomfortable or get in the way, but if Leslie needs him Dave’s there. 

A thick, uncomfortable sludge bubbles in Ben’s stomach and threatens to push up into his mouth. He takes another healthy gulp of beer to stop it.

“That’s...I am very sorry I just said that...”

The front door opens and they both jolt. Leslie calls she’s home, her bags land on the floor with a thud and she moves into the kitchen, the smile plastered on her face a little pained.

“Hey,” she tries to relax her expression, but everything about it is strained. That, if anything, almost causes Ben to crack a real smile. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Dave’s eyes dart across the table at Ben.

“I brought dinner,” Leslie gestures to some take out bags. Ben winces. “Did...do you want to stay for dinner?” 

Of course she does that. Of course his girlfriend is sweet enough to invite her ex-husband to stay and have a meal with them even if it’s incredibly awkward.

“No, I uh,” Dave stands clumsily. “I should get out of your hair. Let you guys have dinner.”

“Are you sure?”

“Uh, yeah,” again, Dave looks to Ben. “You’ll let me know if you need anything else?”

“I will,” Ben answers, clipped and needing him to go. “We’ll be in touch.”

Dave gives him a grateful nod, pecks Leslie lightly on the cheek with his big hand wrapped around her elbow, and leaves.

Every bit of tension he was feeling dissipates when Leslie climbs into his lap and starts kissing him with a real smile. He’s not her rebound. She loves him, she wants to be with him too, she said it was scary but she wants to be with him too. He slides his hands up her back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he lies because his feelings are misplaced. So what if Dave thinks they’re not all that serious? Leslie doesn’t think that, Leslie wants a wedding album with him, Leslie wants a ring and a family and a life with him.

Her tongue slides against his, warm and sweet tasting which makes him realize she was eating candy while she waited for their food. He rubs her sides, planting his feet on the kitchen floor as the chair wobbles a little while she moves her hips against him.

“What’s wrooooong?” she breathes against his neck. He can feel her pouting. Ben sighs and flashes his nails against her skin. She pulls back, lips swollen and eyes slanted downward.

“Dave’s waiting me out.”

Because he’s calling it like he sees it. Leslie balks.

“What?”

“He...he sort of said...I’m your rebound and…”

Leslie’s eyes bulge.

“I’ll kill him.”

“Leslie - ”

“No! That’s...you’re not... _ no _ . Ben - ”

“I know.” 

“Because that’s not - ”

“I know,” he rubs her arms. He already knew, but if he hadn’t her reaction would’ve been enough. “I know, I know.”

“And I’ll...I have...half a mind to call him up and tell him that because...how... _ how _ could he say that after you’re helping him! You’re saving him from the IRS!” she’s flailing because she’s upset.  

“I don’t think he thought he was being a jerk,” Ben admits. “I think he just assumed.”

“Well you shouldn’t assume!”

He kisses her hard as her breathing levels, her fingers already curling inside his shirt. Ben mhmmms and pulls her closer as the chair teeters precariously. Leslie squirms and growls, dragging his mouth against hers more and grinding down gently. Ben groans, hands sliding into the back of her hair.

Her shirt lands in a heap and his hands move to her breasts, thumbing her nipple through the fabric of her bra.

And when she sinks down on his cock a short while later his toes grip against the tiles of her kitchen floor and he forgets everything but her name.


	12. The Rebound Part II

He frowns when he opens his email to fifty-six unread messages. 

Most are spam, thankfully.

Ten are from Chris.

They’ve got a new assignment from the sounds of it, but he hasn’t made his way down to that email yet.

Three are from Dave, awkwardly thanking him yet again for helping him survive the audit.

And there’s one from his mother, just  _ checking in _ because she still hasn’t figured out how to text yet...he groans as Leslie’s soft lips suckle against the flesh of his neck.

“And you say I work too much” she pouts. Ben draws her knuckles to his mouth, but it’s not enough. She nips harder and rubs her cold foot against his.

“Twenty minutes” he pleads. “There’s a bunch of stuff from my boss I’ve been ignoring all weekend.”

“Where are you going next?” Leslie rests her chin on his shoulder and Ben turns to peck her temple.

“Not sure. That’s why you have to let me read my email.”

She whines and Ben steals a kiss. It’s sloppy and Leslie clearly wants more, but he really needs to know where he’ll be spending the next six to eight weeks.

There’s dates and times, but as always Ben finds himself skimming the page for the only thing he cares about - the location.

_ Granger, Indiana _

He googles it, of course, just to confirm what he already knows.

It’s far. So far. It’s four hours from Pawnee not in traffic. He hears Leslie’s breath hitch as she watches over his shoulder.

“Damn.”

“Yeah” he flicks back to the email and Leslie rests her chin on his bicep. “I’ll drive up at least every other weekend.”

“We can trade off.”

“No, you’ll be too tired. You never sleep well in hotels.”

He only sleeps well where she is.

After Granger is Butler...which is also nowhere near Pawnee. Leslie sighs as she rubs her nose against his skin.

For twelve to sixteen weeks he’s guaranteed to be nowhere near her. He wonders if Leslie is thinking the same thing as he continues to flip through and delete emails. 

His phone vibrates with texts from Chris every so often. He wants to know if Ben’s heading back to Indianapolis before they make the journey upstate.

After fifteen minutes, Leslie’s squirming and licking down his throat. “You can do emails when you’re in Granger. I wanna make out.”

“Five more minutes, I’m just replying to Walter.”

He starts to write his boss back and Leslie returns to reading her book, foot still rubbing his and fingers brushing his arm. She nuzzles and it tickles so he chuckles and tries to swat her away, already dreading the lonely moments in a motel where she won’t be there to tease him or make him laugh. Where they’ll watch documentaries over the phone and just hearing her voice will make him feel lighter.

“Maybe your next assignment will be closer” she tries to sound chipper, but he can hear the break in her voice. She’ll miss him too.

He writes three more words accepting the assignments in Granger and Butler.

And then he deletes all of it and types up his resignation instead.

He barely takes a breath before he hits send and quits the only real job he’s ever had, the thing he’s spent the last twelve years trying to get good at just to prove he’s responsible. He’s quitting it for a girl with no other prospects lined up and he has no idea what happens next.

But he does know that he wants to spend every night for forever with Leslie trying to distract him; he wants to see how many times a week she’ll try and convince him to have waffles for dinner and he wants to kiss her every time he walks through the front door.

He doesn’t want to hope his next assignment will be closer. That’s not good enough anymore.

He’s barely closed the app when Leslie pounces, pinning him beneath her and growling that took way too long.

“How hard is it to say  _ I’ll be there, Walter! Now I’m going to go make out with my girlfriend _ ’ her nose scrunches. “Okay, maybe you shouldn’t add the last part.” 

Ben laughs even though his chest is tight, pushing back her hair as she hovers over him.

Actually...he knows exactly what happens next.

He flips her beneath him and Leslie shrieks and wraps her legs around his hips, groaning  _ finally _ as she pulls him down for a deep kiss. Ben murmurs and stretches his arm just enough to reach the top drawer of his nightstand.

Well, her nightstand on his side of the bed.

He sits back more and Leslie props up on her elbows as he places the ring box on her abdomen without warning. Her eyes flood with tears and he takes her hand in his as he uses his other to open the box.

He tells her he’s in love with her.

He says he knows it’s a lot, he knows this has been a hard year for her and he knows neither of them really though they would be here, but he’s stupidly, ridiculously, beyond reason in love with her. All he wants is to be with her forever.

She sniffles and he kisses her knuckles before taking another deep breath.

He asks her to marry him - well, he starts to - but she cuts him off with an excited  _ yes _ and he yanks her into his arms, kissing her as hard as he dares while she tugs at his shirt and his hair and he tastes the hot chocolate on her tongue as he drags her impossibly closer.

He cups the back of her head and smiles, his own vision blurring just a little. He really never thought he’d be here...ever, if he’s being honest with himself. 

“This is probably a bad time to tell you I’m unemployed, right?”

She laughs and more tears fall and then they’re kissing again, Leslie leaning back on the bed and pulling her with him.

Unemployed isn’t a deal breaker, apparently.


	13. It's Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "painful kiss". Enjoy!

The corners of her eyes are burning and the back of her throat aches so much it’s hard to swallow. Dave shuffles his feet against the ground and heaves his shoulders as the west coast sun heats her skin.

“Leslie - ”

“It’s done” she chokes out. She’d meant to say something thoughtful and reassuring. She wants to say something about how they’ll always be friends and she didn’t regret any of it... but nothing comes out. That’s all she says, the last words she’d ever speak to her husband on the doorstep of their overpriced bungalow in the edge of San Diego.

 _It’s done_.

It. Them. Their marriage. It’s all done. There’s a small part of her that wonders if they’ll be able to make it work, if some time and distance between them will grant perspective...but deep in her bones Leslie knows that’s not the case.

Her marriage is over and all she can say to the man she shared her life with for two years is _It’s done_ so he won’t say anymore. She can’t take it anymore.

It’s both their faults. Leslie’s for thinking she could be happy in San Diego and Dave’s for thinking she would be happy just being with him. She misses home, she misses working in government. She doesn’t feel like herself here.

“I, uh, I don’t know...what to say.”

Leslie shakes her head rapidly, tears spilling down her cheeks before she can stop them. She reaches for his hand and he holds her fingers firmly, squeezing as he drops his lips to her knuckles.

And then her cheeks.

And then her lips. It’s light, more of a flutter than a real kiss, but their foreheads press together and she hiccups back a sob.

“I uh...I do love you, Leslie.”

She knows that. She loves him too. Leslie let’s him wipe her eyes and they hug tightly. She tries to say the words back but they’re muffled in his shoulder.

In the background, Leslie’s cab honks and she grabs her suitcase. Dave pries it from her hands and carries it to the car for her. He puts it in the back and they hug and kiss one more time.

She glances over her shoulder in time to see Dave raise his arm through the window.

It’s done.


	14. Only in Pawnee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "Danger". I hope you guys enjoy! Happy Saturday!

He’s asleep when he gets the call.

Asleep, alone, in his new house on Clayton Street a block a half down from his old one. A young family is living in his old house now. They have a small girl with blonde hair who laughs as she chases her father around the yard on wobbly legs.

He’d pictured his own tiny blonde child doing the same to him.

Now, though, it’s 6AM and he’s forced out of bed because someone anonymously called in a bomb threat to City Hall.

Which, in true Pawnee fashion, had been leaked to Joan Callamezzo and meant there was a media circus outside the building. The individual who had called in the threat apparently said no one was to go in or out or he would detonate.

Dave’s not sure how viable the threat is, but from the way the press were hovering around you would imagine _imminent_. At least no one would be in the building at 6AM on a Monday...

His stomach drops when he sees her car.

Shouldn’t she be at home, with _him_ instead of at work in the early light of dawn. Wasn’t that why she’d left San Diego?

Actually, that was exactly why she’d left San Diego. She had no purpose there. He should’ve known that. He shouldn’t have made her come with him and he definitely shouldn’t have proposed.

He’d have missed her, but not quite as hard as he misses her now. There’s a difference between breaking up with your girlfriend and divorcing your wife.

“CHIEF SANDERSON!” Joan Callamezzo calls as soon as he steps out of his car. He pops the collar of his jacket to cut against the early winter’s chill and sighs.

“IS IT TRUE WE HAVE A REAL LIFE HOSTAGE SITUATION HERE IN PAWNEE? Is it, as reports have suggested, a possible nuclear attack?”

Dave’s eyes bulge in their sockets. “ _No_ , I think we can safely say this is not a nuclear attack.”

 _And there’s probably not even be a bomb_ he feels like adding, but doesn’t.

“Chief Sanderson, is it true your ex-wife, Leslie Knope, is the only employee inside the building at this time? Are you emotionally capable of handling this situation - ”

“No comment” he pushes past Joan to where the barrier has been set up. Bill and Lewis are manning it, the latter with a green-ish complexion.

“Did someone call state police?” he asks. Bill nods and Dave rubs his forehead. Leslie and the security guard were probably all he had to worry about being inside.

And there probably was no bomb at all, but of course because Leslie was in there every worst-case scenario was running through his head.

“Chief?” One of the rookies calls from behind him. “You got a call from inside the building.”

That almost makes him smile.

She sounds irate and just a tiny bit afraid. She asks how viable the threat is and how long they’ll be stuck inside. She’ll probably start working on grant proposals or something to pass the time.

“Who’s in there with you?”

“No one” she sounds like she hiccups. “The janitor left and the security guards were in the middle of a shift change so Winston had gone and I think…”

Right, Winston the octogenarian security guard wasn’t the type to hang around if the new guy was running late. So Leslie was by herself.

That was good for everyone else and very bad for him.

“What do they want?”

“Nothing yet, as far as I know” Dave sighs. It really is probably just a dumb kid from Eagleton but he’s not taking any chances until they know for sure. Who calls in a bomb threat at 6AM when one person’s in the building. “Just sit tight, honey…”

He trails off and feels the blush spread all the way to the roots of his hair. It was a reflex, nothing more.

Well, he’s still in love with her but that feels like a reflex too.

“ _Hello and Welcome to a Pawnee Today special report. I’m Joan Callamezzo. The antics of teenage hooligans or a sinister plot to halt progress? That is the question Pawnee’s police are asking themselves as Leslie Knope’s life hangs in the balance. Chief Sanderson’s former wife and loud-mouthed guest of Pawnee today had shown up to work early because she very clearly has no social life and was thrust into chaos…_ ”

Dave groaned, drowning out the rest of the report as he went to the command post to listen to some recordings.

*****

At 7AM he arrived.

The boyfriend, Ben, in a black overcoat and a suit, his eyes narrowed with purpose.

“Uhhh, what the hell’s happening?” there’s a distinct edge to his voice and any nervousness he’d displayed around law enforcement in their previous meetings is definitely gone.

“SIR!” Joan makes a beeline for Ben before Dave can answer. “What is your business here? The city of Pawnee wants to know if you called in the bomb threat!”

A microphone is thrust in front of him and Ben’s eyes widen.

“Good lord, no. My fiancee’s in there.”

Even though they’re outside, it’s as if someone sucked all the air into a vacuum. Dave’s chest tightens as the blush creeps up Ben’s neck.

“Uh…” Ben scrubs at his cheeks. “So...is it...credible?”

“We don’t think so but we, um” Dave rubs his forehead. “We don’t want to take any chances.”

“Right” the air is thick with tension. “I...I had to go into Indianapolis for something so I spent the night there, and I turned on…”

Unwillingly, Dave pictures it. He imagines Ben’s face as he gets word of City Hall under bomb threat while he sips his morning coffee. Ben probably dumped his mug in the sink and jumped in his car without another thought.

It’s what Dave would’ve done.

Ben says he tried to call her but the lines were overloaded. Dave promises if he gets Leslie back on the phone he will let Ben know.

Ben nods, fingers trembling just a little as he keys something into his phone.

*****

By 8AM more people have arrived, including Ron Swanson who comes and stands beside Ben while barking a lot of pointed questions. Dave winces at the growing crowd. It really didn’t have to be this massive production it had turned into. Bomb threats were called in all the time and no one ever knew about them. Only in Pawnee, would something so small with so little concrete evidence make state news.

By 9AM it’s over.

They find the culprit, a disgruntled former employee living in the east end of Pawnee. He was sort of trying to make explosives and he’d definitely planted something in the building, which made Dave feel slightly less worse about the dramatics. It never would’ve detonated, thankfully.

When they bring the item to him Ron takes a second look and says this is why he’s a libertarian.

Ben, whose slicked back hair is now messy from running his hands through it, asks to go in.

She was never in any danger, but Dave understands the need. Dave feels it too.

He must be a glutton for punishment, because Dave decides to escort Leslie’s fiancee into the building personally. They walk through the main foyer and turn into the Parks department, where Leslie sits, shoes kicked off and blazer draped over the back of her hair. She gets up when she sees them, blue eyes wide and forgetting her shoes as she crosses the floor.

“It was nothing, right?” She confirms with Dave, who nods. The couple looks like they’re hesitating, Because they’re not alone, obviously.

“Just some guy who glued some wires together and called it a bomb” Dave informs her. “He’s in custody.”

“See?” she smacks Ben on the arm. It was nothing. He’s staring at her like he wants to devour her. It’s when her hand comes up again that Dave notes the ring.

Ben gives her a hug, a tight one that Dave really doesn’t want to see but can’t help but watch because it’s just so intimate. She rubs his back and murmurs something in his ear that makes him chuckle and Dave looks away.

He hears the sound of lips smacking and winces internally. A small hand lands on his arm and Leslie’s there, smiling up at him. She wants to say something, he can see the words forming behind her eyes, but instead she just gives him a warm hug.

“You” Dave clears his throat. “You should get out of here so we can do another scan of the building.”

“Oh, but work’s just started - ”

“No” Ben and Dave reply in unison. Dave continues. “Sorry, but we have to secure everything before we can let you back in. No work today.”

Leslie grumbles something about her laptop and working from home, but Ben snatches her hand. The hand with the ring on it.

He thanks Dave for his help and tugs on his fiancee. “No work today” he agrees, eyes sparkling. Leslie lets herself follow and rubs Dave’s arm as they vanish out the door.

Dave’s heart twists and his stomach clenches. Has she ever looked at him the way she looks at Ben now? It all seems so long ago now.

Dave hadn’t realized exactly how over they were until this very moment.

And that’s definitely the worst part of today.


End file.
